France international Paul Pogba follows Cristiano Ronaldo as he removes a sponsored drink from the Euro 2020 press conference

French soccer star Paul Pogba went after Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday as the midfielder removed the Heineken bottle placed in front of him during the Euro 2020 press conference following his team’s win over Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Pogba, a practising Muslim, removed the bottle when he sat down to speak to the media after he was named ‘Man of the Match’ in France’s 1-0 Group F win over Germany. Pogba earned the Star of the Match award for his display in the world champions’ 1-0 win over Germany in their Euro 2020 Group F opener on Tuesday.

Pogba, 28, delivered several other moments of quality as the link between France’s midfield and the dream attacking trident of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema.

The move by the Manchester United star comes a day after, Ronaldo pushed aside a couple of Coke bottles that were kept in front of him. The 36-year-old moved the bottles out of the frame and then went on to display a water bottle in front of the press gathered for the conference. Hours later, Coca-Cola, which is also one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020, saw its market value dip by a whopping $4 billion.

In response, Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA said: “Coca-Cola offers a range of drinks to suit different tastes and needs, which are available to players throughout the tournament.” “This includes waters, isotonic sports drinks and juices, coffee and tea, as well as Coca-Cola.”

Pogba’s words after the game would have been music to the ears of Deschamps, as he attempts to add the European crown to the World Cup his side won in Russia in 2018.

“We know we need to live up to our tag as world champions and come out on to the pitch with humility,” Pogba said.